In a match that had significant meaning in the Horizon League standings, the Youngstown State volleyball team answered the bell by earning a 3-0 sweep at Cleveland State on Tuesday evening. The set scores from Woodling Gymnasium were 25-21, 25-18, 25-20.
Youngstown State has now won four straight matches and five of its last six contests, and it improved its record to 13-13 overall and 7-8 in conference play. The seven Horizon League wins ties for YSU's most since joining the conference in 2001. The victory allowed the Penguins to jump the Vikings in the conference standings, and YSU is now fourth place and a half-game ahead of Cleveland State and Oakland.
In the Penguins' first sweep of the Vikings in Cleveland since 1995, sophomore outside hitter Paula Gursching broke the single-season kills record that had stood since 1998. Gursching had 18 kills on Tuesday evening, which increased her season total to a YSU record 531. She entered the match tied with Amy Hermann, who had 513 kills 24 years ago in sideout scoring. Gursching also entered the top 15 all-time in the Horizon League as her 531 total is tied for the 12th most in conference history.
While Gursching led all players with 18 kills and hit .341, the sophomore from Schwalbach am Taunus, Germany, had plenty of help. Abbie Householder hit .381 while registering nine kills and nine digs, and Kiyah Franklin posted seven kills while hitting .300.
Defensively, the Penguins blocked 10 Vikings attacks, and middle blockers Dayan Malave and Julia Sell were each part of five. Isidora Sisic added 16 digs, and Josi Borum joined Householder with nine.
Youngstown State hit .275 as a team, and it closed out its sweep by hitting .414 in the third set. The Penguins had eight more kills and three more blocks, and they matched the Vikings with seven aces.
Lydia Latimer and Laken Voss had 10 kills apiece for Cleveland State.
Cleveland State scored the first two points of the evening and built a 9-3 lead in the opening set, but the Vikings ended up only holding the upper hand three different times during the match. The Penguins caught up and tied the set at 10-10 on a Franklin kill, and YSU's first lead came at 16-15 on a serving error. The score was tied at 17-17, but Youngstown State didn't trail again in the set. Gursching, who started with three kills and two errors, had kills on the final two points, and she went on to have 13 kills and one error in her final 27 swings.
YSU's only deficit in the second set was 1-0, and the final tie came at 6-6. The Penguins went on a 6-1 run behind two kills from Gursching and two aces by Caitlyn Jones to take a 12-7 lead, and the margin was at least three the rest of the stanza.
Cleveland State's only lead in the third set was also 1-0, and the Penguins started to separate early by taking a 14-6 lead on a Franklin kill. But the Vikings mounted a comeback bid and got to within 17-15 on a kill by Latimer. Sell and Householder blocked Latimer on the next point, and the Penguins withheld another charge after Cleveland State closed the gap to 22-20. Gursching had back-to-back kills out of a YSU timeout, and Gursching and Sell blocked Madison Olinger on match point.
Youngstown State will play its final road contest of the regular season on Friday at Robert Morris. The match will begin at 6 p.m., and it will be streamed live on ESPN+.
